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The Francisco Oliva house is one of those buildings with history in the center of Barcelona, since its construction (despite being in the current Plaza de Catalunya), was carried out at a time when the area was still unaware of its final urbanization.
In 1862, the City Council had asked the Government to change Cerdà's project and build the original Plaza de Catalunya in blocks 39 and 40, since they were considered buildable blocks.
Francisco Oliva, owner of the land in 1871 hired the master builder and architect Ramón Portusach Barrató, to build the building for him.
The site, located at the corner of Calle Pelayo and Rambla de Canaletas, was a little larger on the Pelayo side, since while the Rambla gave way to build three bodies of exits to the street, on the Pelayo side you could build four.
Ramón Portusach gave the primitive building a height (then maximum) of a ground floor and three upper floors with a very rudimentary upper finish, since it consisted of a smooth stone cornice without any decorative element.
Immediately, the ground floor of the building, despite the final urbanization of the area not being decided, had several suitors. The first to bet on the premises was Francesc Oliver, a businessman born in Reus, who built one of the first cafes in the area. It had two access doors, to facilitate the entry and exit of customers, one through Ramblas and the other through Pelayo.
Café Pelayo was inaugurated in 1875, it was luxuriously decorated with a series of warm tones, which gave the interior a relaxation that was soon noticed by customers. There were two access doors to facilitate entry and exit, one through Ramblas and the other through Pelayo.
It had a decoration in warm tones that made it a luxurious place, which immediately attracted not only people from high society, but also a large number of gatherings of politicians and intellectuals.
One of the most well-known gatherings was the Colla de la Renaixença, which had been dubbed by journalists and other intellectuals sarcastically as "the Peña de Sabios". It was formed, among others, by Àngel Guimerà, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Apel·les Mestres, Emili Vilanova and Narcís Oller.
Its progression was so great that on Sunday, October 2, 1881, it appeared on the front page of La Vanguardia, under the headline, announcing that a Chocolates de Astorga warehouse had been installed in its establishment.
The fashion of the moment led him to open a billiard room in the basement. But competition from Josep Ribas's Continental Café Restaurant, installed on the opposite corner in 1882, made it close its doors in 1895.
One year after the closure of Café Pelayo, the Puigbert brothers wanted to install new stores in the area on the ground floor left by Café Pelayo and the main floor, which were inaugurated as Almacenes El Globo, on Saturday, April 4, 1896, according to The newspaper La Dinastía announced on its front page.
Almacenes El Globo was especially dedicated to clothing its customers, selling both clothing and accessories for personal use and household items. The business closed its doors in 1924.
In 1901, the roof of the building was occupied by Amadeo Mariné i Vadalaco, with his Amadeo studio, one of the best photographers and portrait painters of the time.
The urbanization of the Plaza de Catalunya and the construction of new, taller and more elegant buildings, led Francisco Oliva to carry out, in 1917, the first modernization of the building, raising it two floors.
At the corner of Pelayo and Rambla de Canaletas, he had a temple built, finished with a semi-round dome with various filigrees that was supported by a set of double columns, which gave it a more stately and monumental appearance.
This change in the building gave him the opportunity to place the first luminous signs on the roof on both sides of the dome, which he maintained for several years: the advertisement for the Yer Seal, a drug that was sold for both constipation and the headache, and the Zig-Zag rolling paper.
After the civil war ended and for no apparent reason, as a consequence of the damage produced, the cover of the temple disappeared.
No one has said, nor does they know the reason, without being able to assure it 100%, I am inclined that it could also be a mandate from the Franco government, the reasons are very simple.
Very close to the House of Francisco Oliva, the old Telefónica building, designed by Francesc de Paula Nebot i Torren, had been built in 1926. In 1952, the rounded green dome and lower columns were removed and a square element was built.
Subsequently, the ground floor was divided and for a long time housed several prestigious shops, including Valentí Jewelry and the Gaig Precision Instruments store. On the Ramblas side in 1916, the Canaletas bar opened its doors.
This time it was not a historic building that disappeared, but one of those businesses that, in other cities, they respect because, apart from being historic, they are the emblem of the city.
First, the Canaletas kiosk was removed so that walkers could walk without obstacles. But, the City Council forgot about the promise to make the walk more accessible and has placed a Rambla full of obstacles, with low-quality barracks and without artistic interest. Subsequently, they dedicated themselves to unprotecting the stores with a stamp and an artistic quality that, little by little, were disappearing.
This is how the Canaletas bar, which opened on June 19, 1916, was forced to close in 1982.
